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Labour made a manifesto commitment to give people of all faiths the same protection against incitement to hatred on the basis of their religion.  As a society we must not tolerate people using racial and religious difference to create hate.

Previously the law did not protect the followers of religions that do not have distinct ethnic origins, for example, Christians or Muslims but did law did protect the followers of mono ethnic religions such as Judaism and Sikhism – which is a good thing.

The Bill was subjected to a concerted campaign outside of Parliament which was unfortunately based on misunderstanding and a misinterpretation of the legislation. The final version of the Bill that was put forward contained significant safeguards for robust religious discussion and criticism. It was quite clear that the proposals were introduced to curb the activity of far right extremist organisations and the potential damage their actions can cause. 

The Bill has made it a criminal offence to incite religious hatred, but it did not seek to curb people's rights to express their views about religion, criticising religious, preaching their own religion or telling jokes about religion. It is still not an offence to express a negative view about another religion, or religious viewpoint. It would, however, be an offence if that denouncement included an incitement to others to mobilise against the people who held those beliefs.

In my view, making it an offence to incite religious hatred will act as an important deterrent, and will help to define what society regards as the limits to acceptable behaviour.  Many organisations, including the Association of Chief Police Officers, expressed their concerns about previous legislation and the efficacy of responding to cases where religious hatred has been incited.

The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill as it passed has improved the situation but it was weakened by the amendments that were passed. I was disappointed that Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs voted against some of the measures that would have extended protection to followers of religions that do not have distinct ethnic origins.  The protections that did pass were not as strong as they ought to have been and the loophole in the law has not been fully closed.

The Government is firmly committed to freedom of speech, including the right to debate and discuss matters of religion. The aim of the Bill is to allow ordinary people to follow their faith, free from intimidation and fear, and help to promote diversity and respect.   Unfortunately, there has been considerable misunderstanding about the Bill, and it is important to realise that it will not affect freedom of speech. 

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